There is nothing like slipping into a new piece of clothing or jewelry, not knowing how it will work on you, and finding that it fits you perfectly! That was my experience over and over again, with many of the gallery pieces.
I've delighted in trying on just about every item in the gallery over the past month - what better way is there to appreciate every artist and their creations? And there have been items that I doubted would work on me, only to find that they fit beautifully.
Part of the joy in owning this gallery is looking at a particular piece and envisioning the kind of woman that it will look best on. Some pieces are designed with a very specific woman in mind. At the Chicago trunk show last weekend, we featured a stunningly gorgeous silk event coat by Morihiro Muto in Japan. I coveted it but when I put it on, it was simply overwhelming on my frame. I knew it had to belong to a woman of a certain stature and wondered if she would come to the trunk show.
Within minutes of thinking that thought, the right client walked into the trunk show and claimed it! It was a perfect fit.
And then there are some pieces that work equally well on women of very different shapes and sizes. Some of them don't look like much on the hanger, but really come to life once draped on a woman - taking on her shape, accenting the right areas, and gracefully skimming other areas.
It takes many, many years of experience and many creations for an artist to know how to make the cloth, and design the clothing, in this way. Santa Fe Weaving Gallery really seeks out these artists and works with them to bring their pieces to our clients and collectors.
The other thing that is amazing is some of the stories behind the clothes or the artist. When Takako Ueki of Ripins Clothing was at our gallery earlier this month, she told the story of the new clothing line. Her friend in Kyoto, Japan, owned the store and patterns for the clothes. She died, leaving the store to Takako. Takako was already in yarn and fabric and had no intention of making clothes. But she did - supporting small mills in Japan creating the fabric, and keeping on the seamstresses of the store she inherited. Ripins Clothing is a beautiful line of meticulously crafted clothes that are finished inside and outside, with pieces that flatter many women of different shapes.
What a beautiful story.
Elise